Ultimate Conquest
by Tavis
Summary: Complete Chaos
1. Prelude

The red and black puddle moved silently and slowly down the silver colored hallway, unobtrusive and unnoticed. The Triskelion was unusually silent at the moment, with only minimal staff present, due to the Christmas holiday. Its mission was simple; it had to be for it to understand what to do. Short out of the power to the building and then it could feed. Oh yes, feeding was its favorite thing to do, what it lived for in fact was the feel of life emptying from a human and entering him. The few people that did encounter it thought it just a simple spill, something the janitor or some messy eater had left behind. It found what it was looking for after only a few hours, winding its way down many flights of stairs, to the room where the main power grid resided. This however was guarded, but still none took notice as the puddle slipped under the door.

Shang Chi paced the small room where he had been confined for many weeks. Normally he would have been in meditation at this time of the day but something was troubling him. A presence maybe or just an eerie feeling that something was just wrong about the day. The cold sun streamed through his very small window, nurturing the small plant that one of the guards had given to him last night as a present. He could feel all the things going on in his cell, the hum of the electric light sent vibrations through his fingers, the cool air blasting through the unseen vents reminding him of summers spent upon foreign mountains. Imagine the surprise then, when these feelings stopped abruptly, with his only other warning the faint powering down sound as the lights, the air, and with a soft click from his door, the locks went off.

At first he did nothing, choosing to wait for the power to come back on and continue his normal routine rather than try to escape, for he had given his word that he would not. However, the screams and whoops of glee coming from the hallway where his cell rested made up his mind for him. He moved quickly to the door and pushed, feeling it give way rather easily. Distant gunshots and screams could be heard echoing throughout the prison block, and Shang wondered if this had reached even the maximum security level, hoped it hadn't. From around the only corner into the hallway two S.H.I.E.L.D agents came into view, guns raised and pointed at the Shang. Not wanting any trouble, Shang put his hands up in the air to show that he did not want to resist.

"Is there anything I might do to help?" he asked politely.

The two agents who were obviously in a very nervous state simply told him to get back in his cell and stay quiet. By the look in their eyes and the way that their fingers twitched ever so slightly upon the triggers of their automatic weapons convinced Shang that the two would indeed shoot him if he did otherwise. With a deep sigh the martial artist turned back to his cell and started to walk in, determined not to cause any trouble. He gave the two agents one last look, and to his surprise the look in their eyes had changed from one of near panic, to a blank lifeless stare. Shang paused and turned back to face the two, just as they fell to the ground, a shard of glass sticking out of the back of ones neck. From the pool of blood forming around the head of the other agent, Shang assumed that his neck had been opened. The form that stood now in front of him seemed not human at all in its madness. Green eyes wide, red hair unkempt and veering in every direction, the man who was Cletus Kasady grinned from ear to ear, his white teeth practically shinning in the dim red glow of the emergency lights.

"No thank you? How rude…." Spoke the madman who had claimed the lives of over forty innocents.

Shang had heard the news stories about the infamous Cletus Kasady, heard the tales of murder and mutilation. Shang had found it hard to believe that anyone was capable of such acts, and yet standing now in the presence of the twisted soul he wondered how he could have every _not_ believed it. Of course like everyone in the cell block he had heard the screams at all hours of the day, never-ending and all too coherent, now standing before the man he wondered if even his considerable skills would get him past unscathed.

"Not one for talking? Me either actually. I prefer to talk to myself; I can only get a good word in that way. People are always trying to interrupt me you see, never leaving me to my thoughts or ramblings as they may be. Am I rambling now? Perhaps. Maybe a more direct approach to get you to see what exactly I mean…", with that said Cletus kneeled down and pulled the shard of glass out of the agents back and stood up, walking towards Shang with a deadly calculated coldness.

Normally, Shang would not have been worried. Psychos were easy to deal with, often fighting recklessly. He was however unnerved by one thing. How was a supposedly irrational and unstable man able to sneak up behind two highly trained and motivated S.H.E.I.L.D agents and take them out within a fraction of a second? Shang decided that he would have to be careful.

He spread his legs apart slightly, bringing his right hand up in front of him, his left down by his midsection, ready to defend. The attack came quickly, Cletus stopping short of direct reach and flinging the shard of glass out at Shang like a dart. Shang twisted his torso to the right to avoid the shard, his feet never moving. Cletus, thinking to catch Shang off guard did not pause after he had thrown the shard, instead he followed up with a wild punch aimed at Shang's head. Shang had anticipated the move and in a fluid motion, brought his left hand up as he twisted his torso back around to face the killer, blocking the desperate punch.

Cletus was surprised at the quickness of the man, having thought that he was just another wife beater or small time crook. He found out quickly though what kind of man Shang Chi was. He pondered this realization as he saw the floor rush up to meet his face.

Shang searched the body of one of the dead agents quickly, finding a pair of hand restraints to use on Cletus. All it had taken was one solid hit to the temple to render him unconscious, but he would not just leave the killer there to wake up and continue his murder. He deftly placed Kasady's hands behind his back and clicked the restraints on. That done, Shang stood up and looked back to his cell. Reason told him that he would be better off just staying there, not going out to see if anyone else might need help. His moral code however, would not allow him to just sit by while innocent people might be killed. Without another look back, he started to move off, silently, down the hallway.

**A note from the author.**

Well, that's my introduction. Before I post anymore chapters I just want to say a few things. I know some people are sticklers for continuity, I happen to be one too. My story takes place (for those who care) after Ultimate Nightmare, but before the Ultimates third wave. Don't know what I mean, that's ok, saves some problems with working out the timeline. I would very much appreciate criticism, but I will ignore flame. That's about it really, hope you enjoy reading. 


	2. Chapter 1

Ben Grimm yawned lazily, scratching his chest while watching some old sitcom rerun. Seemed like a marathon of them was on, and sense the brass wasn't letting him outside he figured it would be a good chance to take a break from working out and training. One thing he would have to talk to Reed about though; the stress suit was itchy. He laughed absently at some joke, stopping for a moment to inflect upon the fact that he didn't laugh much anymore. He supposed it came with the territory of being a giant rock thing. His train of thought was broken by a news flash interrupting his program.

"Hello, your regularly scheduled program will return after this news break. At 7:00 this morning the Triskelion suffered a massive blackout. It is currently unknown if this was simply a malfunction or a terrorist attack. As of right now no communications are being broadcasted or received from the complex. General Nick Fury was contacted earlier and declined to make any comment other than the situation was being dealt with. More on this story later."

With that the rerun came back on and Ben was left with unanswered questions. Frustrated, like he was so often now, he threw the remote at the TV, the small piece of black plastic blasting through the glass and out of the back of the set, slamming against the wall behind it with a large crack.

"Opps….. Sue is gonna kill me.."

He didn't have time to ponder the implications of what that meant, for only a moment later two soldiers stepped through the door and moved to him. They stopped short of the granite couch Ben was sitting on and told him that his presence was requested by General Ross. Ben heaved a sigh and stood up, waving to the soldiers to show that he was following.

As soon as he entered General Ross's office, he knew something was wrong. Johnny, Reed and Sue were already there, as well as Dr. Storm. He moved to the chair which was obviously meant for him, the one made of stone, and sat down.

"Well, now that we are all here, I have been instructed to brief you on the current situation. This has not been released to the public, so I trust you will keep it in confidence. This morning the Triskelion suffered a power outage which could have been written off as a minor glitch in the system. This should have been fixed within minutes, but it was not. The building itself goes on automatic lockdown in such situations, because of the number of high risk prisoners in the lower levels. We have had no communication from within the Triskelion, and General Fury believes it is time to send in a recon team. Namely, you."

Reed, looking troubled, leaned forward, "But General, don't they have the Ultimates for these kinds of situations? I thought that we were to keep out of the public eye?"

Ross glared at the too smart boy and replied curtly, "Where the Ultimates and what they are doing is not your concern Richards. You do as you're told. You four will be going in through the audience hall, where most of the staff and personal should be gathered. You are to assess the situation and aid S.H.I.E.L.D in recapturing those inmates who have left their cells. As for the media blackout we had on you, it's over. Your name, as ridiculous as it sounds, is the Fantastic Four."

Ben and Johnny looked at each other for a moment, blank stares between them, then burst out laughing. Sue put a hand on her forehead in dismay and Reed simply smiled. His smile evaporated when he saw the look on the General's face.

"This is not a game!" the general shouted, slamming his fist on the desk. " Report to the 35th floor armory for your gear, dismissed."

With that, the General looked to a paper on his desk, ignoring the four teens still sitting in front of him looking dumfounded. After a few minutes Ross looked up and coughed, sending them scurrying out of the office. As they walked down the wide hallway to the elevator, Reed and Johnny were talking hurriedly. Reed did not want Johnny to use his flame power too much, but Johnny insisted that it was not going to hurt him. After a little while Reed, fed up with arguing, just sighed.

The elevator ride down was short. The doors of the elevator slid open, revealing a large circular room with scientists milling out. There were soldiers stationed at every entry point, making sure no unauthorized persons could stroll in. These four however, needed no identification cards. A small scientist with black hair ran up to reed and extended his hand quickly.

"Reed Richards? I'm Melvin Stewart, head of development here. General Ross sent down the report, and I'm to show you the new gadgets you four will be outfitted with for your mission."

Melvin motioned for them to follow him. He led them to a closet near the far right of the room. Smiling widely he punched in the number code on the lock. The doors to the closet slide open revealing four blue suits, each with a large four situated in the torso.

"Now I know these look like your standard containment suits, but added a few new things to them. They still have all the standard features, with the addition of a communications array built into the logo on the chest, and equipment for analyzing and cataloging data. They also are Kevlar lined, brining some measure of protection from small arms fire. Not that you..uh…need it."

Shrugging, Ben moved forward and took his suit, the largest one. Johnny, Reed, and Sue followed, each taking their own specific uniform. Ben scoffed openly at the four on the chest of his suit and then, shaking his head, made for the changing room near the closet. Once all four of them were suited up, they thanked Melvin, and made their way back to the elevator. Up to the helicopter pads they went, stepping out of the elevator, all feeling just a bit silly about things. A pilot in a green jumpsuit waved them over to a large helicopter, showing them in. All strapped in, the helicopter fired up its engines and took off, soaring across the city, making for the Triskelion.

After a few minutes the helicopter was circling the complex, waiting for the order to set the team down. Ben looked out of window of the chopper and grumbled something, unbuckling his straps. He stood up, causing the helicopter to lurch suddenly, and walked over to the sliding door. He opened the door and looked down. They were over the auditorium, and he figured that was as close to the spot Ross wanted them as they were likely to find. He gave Reed a thumb up sign and leaped out of the helicopter. Sue cried out at the sudden movement, and Johnny stood up looking positively elated. He moved over to look out the door and saw Ben crash right through the glass panes of the skylights. The impact also shattered most of the all glass auditoriums windows, and what survived, shattered when Ben slammed into the floor, kicking up a huge cloud of debris.

Johnny, not one to be outdone, leaped out after Ben had hit. He screamed excitedly and waited till the last second before shouting "FLAME ON!" and igniting. He made a complete circle of the auditorium building before flying in through one of the shattered window panes, setting down next to Ben. Reed just looked at Sue and shrugged. He stuck his leg out of the doorway and let it stretch all the way down to the floor of the building, then gave a little waved to sue and stepped out of the helicopter. He reached the floor in moments, smiling. Sue sighed and stepped out of the chopper as well, letting a force field lower her gently down to the others.

"Ya know..despite bein a freak, this is kinda cool", Ben said with a grin.

The others could only smile and nod at that.


	3. Chapter 2

His first time was when he was ten years old. Her name was Sharon. Never mind the last name; he couldn't remember it for the life of him. He could see her face though, pretty white skin and blonde curly hair. She was laughing, always laughing. Laughing at some obscene joke one of the other boys told her, giggling with her friends about whatever nonsense occupied them that day. Laughing at Cletus when he asked her to the school dance. That was the last time she laughed. Her mouth in the shape of an O as the laugh turned into a gurgle. What could have been her last sight? The fire in Cletus' blue eyes, the wicked triumphant smile showing that at last he had her full attention. He had stuck the small plastic knife in her stomach, her liver to be exact. He had learned that in science class, and daddy had said that school was useless.

He could hear the laughter now, as Sharon fell to the soft green grass, the knife still embedded in her torso. It was all around him. More than that, he could feel it and see it just as well as he could hear it. It was as if someone was writing it on the clouds, in the grass. He could feel it slithering through the lines of his skin, penetrating his nose and eyes, till all he could see was the laughter. He had shaken his head to clear the laughter away, and finally realized what had happened. He had killed her, his precious Sharon. There she laid, in all her beauty and grace, splayed out in the grass, a pool of crimson growing around her, turning the dirt into mud. What he felt then was indescribable. Elation, joy, and bliss he would realize it to be later, when he could fully grasp the meaning of those words.

Cletus Cassidy had gotten off on an insanity plea. His parents, while not in any opinion loving or caring, had spent their savings on lawyers to defend their son. Into a state funded asylum he went, and out he came two years later, looking quite the same, save for the height increase. He still had his startling eyes though, the eyes that always seemed on fire, shifting around as if looking for prey.

For a few years things seemed as if they were back to normal. Cletus went to school, talked to no one. His mother drank heavily, all night it seemed sometimes, and his father laid on the couch, rising only to use the bathroom or to beat Cletus with the dreaded doeskin belt that was always resting on the coffee table.

It happened suddenly, as all things of great importance tend to do. One moment Cletus was sitting on the floor of the single wide trailer that was home, watching T.V. with no malicious thoughts in his adolescent mind. The next he was on the floor crying, holding the spot on his head where the belt had slapped. His father continued to beat him, shouting at him, calling him nasty names. Soon the belt stopped hitting him. He dared to look up at his father.

"Why you cryin boy? Somethin hurt? Aww little baby cry."

His father paused a moment, then lashed out with his leg, kicking his son in nose. A white hot explosion took the breath from Cletus' lungs. He fell forever it seemed, until he hit that ragged dirty carpet.

When he awoke later that night, he found that he had not been moved. His mother had not even looked at the unconscious boy. There was his father, laying there snoringo n the couch. A sudden rage filled Cletus. He forced himself up off of the floor and walked over to the couch. His hands clenched into fists as he stared at the man who had only hours before beat him so violently. Without noticing what he was doing, Cletus picked up belt from the coffee table and raised it up in his hand. A song was playing on the radio in the kitchen.

"Yakkity Yak..."

Cletus lowered his hand and then quickly brought his other hand up under his fathers resting head, lifting it up. He then wrapped the belt around the still sleeping mans neck, slipped the leather through the metal buckle, and pulled with all his might.

"Don't talk back..."

His father's eyes bulged open, his mouth moving silently. He felt the once strong hands on his shoulders, trying to pry him off, but to no avail. Like Sharon before him, Old Man Cassidy's last sight was that of young red haired Cletus, his eyes aflame, his smile wide.

It was over quickly. The stench of urine told him that. Yet another useful thing he learned at school. The body lost functions upon death. The tyrant was dead. Cletus almost broke out into a dance at the thought. He realized though, that his work was not over. His mother, poor sweet mother, was asleep in the other room. She had done nothing to stop his father from hurting him. She never did.

He moved into the kitchen and searched for something that could help him carry out his dirty business. He found it, an expensive kitchen knife. Ironic that it was something that his mother spent more time with than her own son, and it would be the instrument of her demise.

All these things, and a hundred thousand other things the red and black puddle knew in an instant. It stopped in its draining of the wild eyed mans life, and pondered what it would be like to be him.

The puddle widened and stretched, slithering to cover the body of Cletus Cassidy. It then seemed to sink into the man, through his eyes, nose, and pores. Only minutes after Shang Chi had rendered him unconscious, Cletus' eyes popped open. Very much the same, yet so different.


End file.
